An expander piston ring is a split ring that fits into a groove formed within an outer diameter of a piston in a reciprocating engine, such as an internal combustion engine. Main functions of piston rings in reciprocating engines may include sealing a combustion chamber of the engine so that there is no transfer of gases from the combustion chamber to a crank of the engine, supporting heat transfer from the piston to a cylinder wall of the engine within which the piston is seated, and regulating engine oil consumption (e.g., via a sealing functionality).
In order that a ring may be fitted into the grooves of the piston, the ring is not continuous but is broken at one point of the ring's circumference such that the ring is expandable and includes separate opposing ends that may become spaced apart from one another. An end gap in a piston ring should compress to a few thousandths of an inch when inside the cylinder bore e.g., when within the space across the diameter of the cylinder wall). When fitting new piston rings or breaking them within an engine, the end gap is a crucial measurement. Such expander piston rings that expand such that the ends are spaced apart from one another may be fed into the groove in a manner that results, however, in an overlap rather than an end gap between separate opposing ends of the piston rings.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative piston ring feeding methods and apparatuses such that piston rings may be fed into piston grooves without resulting in an overlap between separate opposing ends of the piston rings.